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Greetings, and welcome to another installment of our weekly Before & After series! This week’s pictures come from Exceptional Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care in Edmond, Oklahoma, and were shared on their Facebook page.

Stains made by red dyes are notoriously difficult to remove. Lucky for this home owner, Exceptional Carpet Cleaning knew just how to handle the situation. Here are the “Before” photos:

Yikes: we’re not sure what made this stain, but it’s definitely an eyesore! Let’s see how the carpet looks after a thorough cleaning:

Poof! The stain is gone. A slight amount of discoloration is visible on close viewing, but no trace of the red dye remains. The discoloration should also fade once the carpet has had time to dry. Great job!

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The new year is here and people around the world are setting goals. Whether they want to be healthier, more fiscally responsible, to keep in touch with their friends and relatives, to pick up a guitar, or learn to paint, people are making New Years resolutions of all kinds.

As you start figuring out how you’re going to make this year awesome, don’t forget to make resolutions for your business!

2014 is the year to focus on getting more repeat business and building a loyal base.

But how do you do that?

Of course it’s important to make a great impression, to be friendly, courteous, and punctual, and to provide a service that will impress your clients. People are naturally forgetful, though, and if you aren’t constantly reminding your customers that you exist, they’re going to forget you.

The solution is intelligent, heartfelt direct mail marketing. That’s what our FillMySchedule program is all about.

We have found that by simply sending personalized thank-you cards, “here to help” cards, and reminder cards, our users have been able to give their repeat business a massive boost.

Our FillMySchedule program is based on the idea that when you reach out to people without putting the “hard sell” on them, they will understand that you care about them as people, not just as a source for more dollars.

The cards that we send out for our users are intended to look like a wedding or birthday invitation, not marketing materials. They are tent-fold, heavy card stock cards that are stamped and addressed to the customer themselves, not “Current Resident.”

FillmySchedule starts with a simple thank you note, then follows up every three months with specially crafted messages to inform them of the additional services you can provide. Maybe their couches are covered in stains? Maybe their driveway needs pressure washing?

After awhile the FMS message shifts to focus on how long it has been since you visited your client and how much dirt and grime has accumulated since then.

When clients perceive that you care about them enough to address them personally and reach out as an individual, the response you’ll get is much higher than if you were to send postcard advertisements with no personalization.

Let’s make 2014 the year of repeat business. If you’re already using FillMySchedule, make sure you’re clicking that button in ServiceMonster! Cards that aren’t approved won’t land you any new jobs.

If you aren’t using FillMySchedule, consider making it a New Year’s Resolution for your business. With an average 800% return on investment, we doubt you’ll regret it.

To speak with our FMS specialist, give us a call at 888-901-3300 or send an email to support@principalfocus.com!

A wise person once said that a machine is only as good as the sum of its parts. Making sure that your company has the right staff to keep things running smoothly and efficiently is crucial. Click here for tips on hiring the best employees!

What makes one portable extractor better than the rest? It’s always a good idea to do your research before investing in new equipment! If you’re shopping for portable extractors, Larry Cobb outlines some key points to keep in mind in this article.

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Greetings, and welcome to the latest Round-Up! If you’re new around here, the Round-Up is where we feature recent news from around the web related to the cleaning industry. Now, let’s see what’s hot off the press:

Aunts, uncles, and grandparents often have a hard time knowing what to get for the wee ones. Looking for a gift that will inspire youngsters to learn and think creatively? Click here for a list of gift ideas that encourage creativity and organization!

Upholstery cleaning can be a bit of a gamble. With so many different types of furniture and cloth out there, it can make standardized pricing difficult. Click here to learn about the art of restoring aged and damaged upholstery!

In theory, automating a process that is traditionally completed by humans can save a business time and money. But do automatic scrubbers really get the job done, or is there no substitute for elbow grease? Click here to read an expert opinion on the subject!

Ever wonder how the billionaires made it big? Click Here to hear the best advice 12 successful business people were given early in their careers, including Mark Cuban and other wealthy celebrity entrepreneurs!

Do you have ideas for coverage? Let us know at support@principalfocus.com!

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Having served the industry for over a decade, we’ve talked with a lot of carpet cleaners and restoration business owners along the way. We have found that the vast majority of people who decide not to use ServiceMonster give us one of five common answers.

We think that none of these reasons are actually obstacles, as we have designed ServiceMonster to help carpet cleaning businesses grow and become more efficient no matter what “stage” they are in. Here are the top 5 reasons we hear from the “No’s” and the “Not-Right-Now’s,” along with our response.

1) It’s too expensive.

Is growing your business worth less than $80 per month? How about all of the time you’ll save by integrating your scheduling, billing, invoicing, and marketing? Even if $80 a month would put a strain on your budget, you can get ServiceMonster for FREE simply by referring one friend each month.

2) We’re a small company and we don’t need help keeping organized.

One question: how much of your time and attention does your current system require? With ServiceMonster, you can save a ton of time by automating all of your processes that would normally require paperwork. This makes tax season less stressful and frees up your after-hours life so you can focus on family, friends, and much-needed R&R. We also have a ton of owner/operator clients who swear by our FillMySchedule direct mail marketing service that sends out thank you and reminder cards to keep your clients coming back.

3) I already use free programs (Google calendar, etc.) that basically do the same thing.

Does Google Calendar tell you what type of jobs earn you the most money, or what day of the week you are most likely to sell protectant? Does it give you the power to send out thank you cards at the click of a button? Yes, there are free programs that can help you handle the basics of running a business. The difference is that ServiceMonster empowers you to grow your business.

4) Why pay a subscription for a software program? Shouldn’t I just have to pay for it once?

Because our software is cloud-hosted with a secure server that automatically protects and backs up your data, we need to charge our subscribers monthly. We are also constantly working to improve our platform to help our clients grow. When we develop an upgrade to our system, it goes out to all of our subscribers at no additional cost. Plus, you get unlimited training and support from our dedicated staff who know the software and are always here to help! Also, we do not lock our clients into any kind of contract, so if you are ever unsatisfied or need to cut costs, you can turn your subscription off without any complications.

5) We’ve heard great things about ServiceMonster. We’re just too busy right now to worry about learning a new program.

We built ServiceMonster so it could be learned quickly by people who are not computer experts. The vast majority of our clients are comfortable using our platform after only two one-hour training sessions. For people who require a little more assistance when it comes to new software, our support staff is more than happy to help. Don’t let a busy schedule prevent you from making the decisions that will help you grow your business!

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It’s time to start thinking about winterizing your vehicle and changing your driving habits if you live in a place with a risk of snow and black ice. Here is a helpful infographic from DriverSide.com with tips for winter safety, whether you’re driving your company vehicle or your personal car.